“For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Matthew 25:29
Such a delicate balance of tip-toeing the thin and wobbly line between prideful ego-fulfillment and confidently applying one’s God-given talent. In Jesus’ challenging parable, a story with lesson, He tells the tale of three servants given various sums of money, in Matthew 25. The first two invest and apply their funds to produce even more, while the third hides the money and returns the same amount. The big boss praises the first two while punishing the third. Thus, I too, want to apply and invest my own talents and not hide under false humility covering over my fears.
Each and every woman expresses her unique abilities in motherhood. Skills such as cooking, organization, singing, sewing, knitting, crafting, gardening, teaching, medicine, administration, emotional intelligence, communication and finance (think Proverbs 31 but more intensive). All mothers possess strengths and weaknesses. For example, I am not strong in the cooking department but flourish as a teacher/ organizer/ administrator. Thus rather than compare let’s celebrate one another’s accomplishments. Yet, talents buried away cannot be celebrated. Therefore, counting and cultivating your innate gifts is critical to flourishing as a woman and mother inside and beyond the home.
Home provides the roots- the place to ground and nourish. Yet, mothers, still connected to their own hearth may branch out and spread their home life flourished to others. Thus their gifts first benefits their own family members and then others. For example, a mother who bakes goodies first provides treats for her family and then begins a business selling to others and sharing her tasteful talents. I personally, enjoy writing so document my own kids’ lives in journals, baby books and in photo albums, then also write children books and devotionals to benefit others. I dream of being published and strive to submit manuscripts, writing during my younger kids nap-times, to no avail yet. Regardless, this outside of home life obligation passion allocates space for me to offer up my own innate gift. To keep up with the mundane we must burn that “blue flame”, the passion projects, that when not pursued leaves us in the dark.
Three practical T-tips to cultivate your Talents:
Take TIME: reflect on what activities give you joy and satisfaction in the processs, even tedasicous tasks. Your talents lean naturally towards your innate interests and desires. A questions to discern: “If I had all the time and resource I would spend my time ————“ and/or “I wish I had more time to ————.”
Honor your TEMPERAMENT: Prone to planning or spontaneity, extervertism (energized by others) or intorvertism (drained by others), to desire to confront or avoid- all natural tendency affect the direction and fears cultivating your talents. By pursuing your passions at your own pace and outsourcing to better suited temperaments, talents multiple. For example, I enjoy the writing aspect of children’s books yet don’t desire to provide my own advertising and printing thus I seek out publishers.
TENACITY: pursing passions within and outside of the home, requires grit. The ability to put yourself out-there- experience rejection, and possibly lose face or finances requires large amounts of gumption. Fame the flame with failures and let fears burn away. For the true loser, buried his talents.
“If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”
Jeremiah 20:9
To all my mother readers- mother with your talents and fearlessly pursue passions rooted in the home yet branching towards the sky. Thus we shall not compete but celebrate the abundance of gifts given. Take the time to discern your talents, honor your temperament and flourish through tenacity.
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